Clash of Tyrants
by Russddragon
Summary: The sequel to Son of Ryukotsusei. Inuyasha and Shippo are on their own. Their friends are dead and their enemies live on. The clock is ticking as all the peices of the jewel come together and total chaos breaks out when enemies face each other once again.
1. Mournful Beginning

As you might already be aware, this story is the sequel to my previous work _Son of Ryukotsusei_. For those of you who have not read it yet don't worry. I'll fill you in as this story progresses. Enjoy.

P.S. I don't own Inuyasha or anything, nor have I seen all the episodes. So, if I mess up on anything, live with it.

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In the middle of a grassy field, under the blue afternoon sky, a warrior rested in a red kimono rest himself and his aching body. Long white locks sway in the spring breeze as dog-like ears twitch off the presence of an insect. His arms were folded behind his head in a comfortable fashion and his sword was not far from his reach. A light shadow moved swiftly over him as another being circled through the air and landed near him. The warrior wake gently and opened his eyes to stare face to face at the newcomer, which was nothing more then a child with a bow in his hair and a bushy fox tail. 

"Rise and shine, sleepy head," the fox boy said, with a large grin on his face.

The dog eared warrior let out a low growl before batting the boy away with a swift motion and sitting up to stretch. The fox boy sat on the ground rubbing his head while glaring at the warrior. "Inuyasha! What was that for?" he said.

Inuyasha didn't respond. Instead, he stared at the two-tailed cat sitting before him staring back at him with sparkling eyes. The warrior reached out his hand to the cat and petted it gently. His gaze was off as if in deep thought, even as he spoke, "Shippo, did you find anything to eat?"

The young fox demon nodded and took a small pack off his back and unfolded it in front of him. The pack spread out like a blanket while its contents remained piled in the center. Shippo took his time setting out the objects he collected as Inuyasha got up from his spot and moved over next to the blanket. The warrior's yellow eyes glanced over the items gathered before him and he recognized many of the odd and unusual containers of food.

"Some of these are Kegome's supplies," he said, half to himself.

Shippo slowly nodded in response. "I found her pack on the edge of the forest. Sad to say it was torn to shreds. The lunch she made for us and her medical boxes were still all there."

Kirara pounced over to the blanket and curled up on the edge. Shippo offered her some food first, but she obviously wasn't hungry. Yet, he left it next to her just in case. Inuyasha placed his sword down at his side and picked up a bowl of ramen. On a typical day he would boil some water to reheat the tasty treat, but on a dreadful day like this he merely tore off the cover and ate it cold.

Shippo did not feel much like warm food up either. He simply started munching away on the food of his choice. First at a fast rate then slowed down, almost to a complete stop. The cat demon beside him looked up as tears started falling from his eyes. "I miss them…" he said, nearly whispering it to himself.

The keen canine ears planted on Inuyasha's head still picked up Shippo's words. The half-demon let out a low growl at hearing this. "Stop wining. That's not going to bring them back."

Shippo looked up at Inuyasha with a shocked look on his face. "How can you be so calm about this? Do you even care that the others are dead?"

Inuyasha practically slammed his bowl down and glared at Shippo. However, this glare was unusual from all the others. When Shippo saw it, it was hard to tell if Inuyasha was mad at Shippo, the death of their friends, or perhaps himself.

"Moping around isn't going to bring them back. Nothing is going to happen if we just sit around here feeling sorry about it."

"But, Inuyasha, what are we going to do about it? What _can_ we do about it?"

Inuyasha feel silent after Shippo's last words. He did not know what to say about that. Falling back onto the grass, the warrior folded his arms behind his head and stared at the sky, not bothering to finish his meal. Things seemed depressing for the two. Neither of them knew what to do, and they both have suffered a great lost in their previous battle. Without giving it much thought, Inuyasha's hand found its way to the bottle of jewel shards that rested around his next. It contained the shards he and his companions gathered as well as the ones his latest enemy used.

'_What now?'_ was the question Inuyasha kept asking himself. Though he did not admit it, he blamed himself for the death of their friends. All his life he had lived in the shadow of his father and strived to become more powerful and greater then his father ever was. The outcome of the last battle did not feel like a victory. He wishes now more then ever that he was stronger then his father.

It was a while before Inuyasha moved from his current state. He gathered his sword, stood, and belted his weapon. "Pack up, we're leaving."

Shippo looked up at him with a puzzled look. "Where are we going?"

"To gather the rest of the jewel shards. Where else?"

"But, Inuyasha, how are we going to find the rest of the jewel without Kegome?"

Inuyash had a determined look on his face as he stared off into the direction in which they needed to go. "We find the one person that knows more about the jewel then anyone else."


	2. The Dragon Returns

The late afternoon sun was beginning to retreat behind the mountains. A man with the appearance of one in their late twenties, though his real age is well into the hundreds, and long flowing white hair, stood at the edge of a cliff looking down at a familiar village. Where he stood now is the location of a battle he fought many years ago and never had the chance to finish it.

"Lord Sesshomaru," the voice of a young girl called out.

The men turned his head to see the young girl he saved running up to him. Her shaggy black rustled in the breeze as she ran. Her dark eyes stared up at the man, Sesshomaru, as yellow eyes stared back at her. The white fur on Sesshomaru's kimono swayed in the breeze with his hair, and nearly brushed against the girl's face. The oddest thing about his appearance, however, was the fact he was missing his left arm. A fact he dreads most and despises his half brother, Inuyasha, for. As well as many other reasons for him to hate his brother.

"Lord Sesshomaru, shall we camp here for the night?" The girl's smile was as bright as the moon above.

Sesshomaru gave the girl a brief nod before a screechy voice called out the girl's name. "Rin! You should not run off like that. And leave Lord Sesshomaru alone!"

The voice came from a dark greenish, frog-like being, half the size of the girl and carried a wooden staff that had the face of an old man and a woman carved on it. Behind the creature was a two-headed dragon which the frog-demon, lead on reins like a horse.

"Leave her alone, Jaken." The youthful swordsman said. Even as the others started a fire and cooked dinner, Sesshomaru staid by the cliff looking into the moon, watching the clouds roll in and out, and listened to the sounds of the night. The insects creaking, the wood in the fire crackling, the noises surrounded him.

That is until something disturbed the night's typical sounds. A twig snapped behind them and made Sesshomaru turn around and stare at the figure on the path just beyond the trees of the clearing. There was a blank stare in Sesshomaru's eyes as he stared at the new creature that stepped forth from the darkness. The curve in the newcomer's lips showed he was delighted to see the swordsman alive and well. "Sesshomaru, never thought I'd see you again in the very same spot we fought once before," the newcomer said.

The creature took a step forth into where the moon light and glow of the flame mixed. A lock of raven black hair rested on his head, their length barely made it past his eyes which shined like sapphires. His skin was as pale as the moon itself. Black kimono pants covered his legs while his chest remained bare, and for obvious reasons. Large pale bat wings sprouted from his back. His sword in its sheath was at his side where he held it.

Sesshomaru glanced at the wings and the scares that marked his skin. "I see you survived, Reokomaru," Sesshomaru said, in a very calm voice. "I heard that Naraku released you and that my brother defeated you."

Reokomaru barked out a laugh. "Seems your brother lacked the ability to finish me off. As for Naraku," the winged warrior paused and shrugged. "He's nothing to me. I owe no debts. Lucky for us we get to finish what we started so many years ago."

The stare between the two warriors grew in intensity. The air became colder and a strong gust of wind blew out the fire, leaving the clearing to the silvery light of the moon. Reokomaru drew his sword out of his sheath and it went through a transformation, growing in size till it was double what it was once before. Sesshomaru drew his own sword from his belt. Seeing how ferocious things were about to become, Rin got on the back of Ah-Un, the two headed dragon, and took to the sky for safety. Jaken, on the other hand, stood off to the side incase his assistance was needed.

In the blink of an eye, the two warriors lunged at each other and their swords clashed. Sparks flew each time their swords collided in a frenzy of slashes. For a moment the two seemed evenly matched, that is until Sesshomaru found and opening and knocked Reokomaru back a pace. With a gap now between them, Sesshomaru lashed out with his sword and unleashed a series of lightning blast at his foe. However, the attack missed. Reokomaru avoided the blast by leaping into the air, and then followed it up with a thrust to the ground at Sesshomaru, using his wings to gain speed and cover the distance quickly. Sesshomaru was too fast. He avoided the attack all too easily and was now a few paces away, aiming his sword at Reokomaru. Small blast shot out from the end of the sword and flew like daggers. Reokomaru pulled his massive sword out of the ground and held it in front of him like a shield, blocking the many daggers of energy. A smile graced Reokomaru's face. He was enjoying this.

"Let me help, My Lord!" Jaken said, running into the clearing and slamming the staff into the ground. The mouth of the old man opened and a stream of fire burst from the staff. Reokomaru held out his hand and a sort of force field surrounded him creating a static wall that the fire could not penetrate. Sparks gathered in Reokomaru's palm and then shot through the flames, pushing them back, and then slamming into the ground near Jaken, sending him flying.

Wanting to help as well, Ah-Un spat out bolts of lightning from his two mouths at Reokomaru. The bolts appeared to have hit home, but did not. They struck the ground, sending up dust and rocks, missing Reokomaru entirely. Reokomaru flew through the air light a bolt of lightning. In a flash, he had closed the distance between him and the other dragon and slashed off one of its heads. Rin looked into the eyes of the warrior with tremendous fear. Ah-Un raised its remaining head to let out another blast, but that head was loped off, too. With the creature not dead, its body went limp and fell out of the sky, taking Rin with it. Sesshomaru rushed after her in attempt to save the girl, but he was too late. Reokomaru swung his sword and unleashed a blast of lightning that struck Rin and turned her to ash before Sesshomaru's very eyes. One second she was there, the next, poof.

Rage, malice, vengeance, all began to swirl together within Sesshomaru and was like fuel to his strength. "Dragon Strike!" he yelled out with intense hatred, and with the swing of a sword unleashed several powerful bolts of lightning lash out with such ferocity the side of the cliff began to crumble.

The bolts twist together and form the shape of a dragon that charges towards its target with unstoppable persistence. The same static field that stopped Jaken's fire surrounded Reokomaru again, only this time more powerful. The massive sword began to take on an electric glow as it was aimed at the oncoming dragon. Using his wings for thrust, Reokomaru shot through the air, ready to take on the dragon. With his energy like a battering ram, the warrior took on the dragon and his shield was on the verge of shattering from the force of the collision.

Reokomaru sliced through the blast with his sword and was headed straight for Sesshomaru. His force field shattered under the pressure of the blast and now bolts lashed across his skin leaving cuts and burn spots. The momentum behind him carried Reokomaru right into the cliff. His sword dug deep into the ground, yet freed itself when all the energy built up behind it exploded and lashed out with bolts of his own lightning. Sesshomaru was not able to avoid the blast and took it head on.

When the dust cleared both warriors were kneeling down and using their swords to support themselves. Reokomaru was the worse for wear, but was the first to rise. His sword turned back to its original form and he stuck it in its sheath at his side. The smile from earlier returned to his face. "It seems you have gotten stronger since last we met. I look forward to facing you again. Till then, take care." Reokomaru saluted his rival and turned towards the cliff. He fell off the edge and was gone.

Sesshomaru stood and put his sword back in his belt. When Reokomaru left, he thought he saw the glow of two jewels on his back, one at the base of each wing. Jaken ran to his master's side and looked up at him with concern. "My Lord?" he asked.

Sesshomaru's stare was blank. Though he had matched Reokomaru's strength, if not surpassed it, it still did not feel like a victory to him.

The two companions went down to the village below the cliff. It was old and worn. Some of the houses had fallen with age; others were burnt and destroyed from their battle. They found what was left of Ah-Un's body and the spot where the blast that killed Rin had hit the ground. Sesshomaru's fingers wrapped around the hilt of the second sword he carried and he drew it from his belt. He raised the sword above his head and the sword began to glow. He could see them, the messengers of the otherworld. He swung the sword in attempt to revive the girl and the dragon. However, in mid-swing, the sword cracked and shattered.

The warrior's eyes went wide as he stared at the fragmented sword in his hand. The same feelings he had when Rin died came back to him stronger then they were before. Without him even intending, his energy flared and sparks flew from his body. Jaken jumped and back off. The hilt of the broken sword cracked under Sesshomaru's grip and flew to the ground in pieces.

Wanting to cheer his master up in some way, he took and big gulp and said, "At least that's one less thing to worry about, My Lord."

Big mistake. Fire was in Sesshomaru's eyes when he turned his hated gaze at Jaken. "Shut the hell up you pathetic toad!" he roared. Jaken ducked at if Sesshomaru was going to hit him.

When Sesshomaru yanked his remaining sword from his belt jaken thought it was a good idea to run, and thus he ran as fast has his legs would carry him. "I was only trying to help you, My Lord! Please don't kill me," he pleaded, but it was no use.

Sesshomaru swung his sword and unleashed another Dragon Strike as fierce at the one he sent after Reokomaru. Before Jaken could get to safety the dragon got him, but it wouldn't have mattered either way. When the blast hit it tore through several houses and still kept going. By the time the blast was done its course it had leveled the entire village, scorching and destroying every building in sight.

With that done, Sesshomaru belted his sword and left the valley. Now alone, only one thing rested on his mind: revenge.


End file.
